Hold These Truths
An unsung American hero, Gordon Hirabayashi, fought passionately for the Constitution against an unexpected adversary: his own country. During World War II, he refused to report to a relocation camp with thousands of families of Japanese descent, launching a 50-year journey from college to courtroom and eventually to a Presidential Medal of Freedom. An inspiring true story of conscience amidst conflict, it is a one-man portrait of American character at its best.
Closed captioning will be available in both English and Japanese.
FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT
“This play is based on a true story, inspired by many hours of interviews I conducted with Gordon Hirabayashi and several of his friends from the 1940s, by numerous letters written by Mr. Hirabayashi during his imprisonment, and by contemporary articles written by and about Mr. Hirabayashi. It is a work blending historical fact with fiction, and certain actual events have been compressed or altered in terms of chronology or content for dramatic purposes. In Act II, Gordon’s letters are works of fiction inspired by his actual writings from the Ring Family papers in the University of Washington Special Collections, Accession Number #4241-001. Dramatic license has been taken with the actual historical texts. In May 2012, Gordon Hirabayashi was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama.”
— Jeanne Sakata